The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015, are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 23, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

Brady writes about miracles in this debut biography of his late wife, Carmie.

According to the author, his wife experienced a brush with death—and her first miracle—during her first pregnancy at age 28. She suffered complete eclampsia, a condition marked by seizures and severely high blood pressure, and for days, doctors and loved ones wondered if she would come out of her resulting coma. Carmie survived, and she later made it through two more high-risk pregnancies, but her medical struggles didn’t end there: She faced death again at age 35 when she was diagnosed with an inoperable form of breast cancer and given two months to live. She was determined to live for her husband and three sons, so she found a doctor willing to treat her, underwent potent chemotherapy and miraculously survived. She sensed that God wanted her alive for a reason, so she decided to pursue a career in mental health counseling. But at age 48, illness returned in the form of ovarian cancer. She went into remission multiple times and continued to assist her clients until her death four years later. Brady effectively highlights the miraculous nature of each incident by drawing attention to its spiritual side. For example, when Carmie collapsed with eclampsia, he noticed a bright red rose on a 5-year-old rosebush that had never bloomed before, and he saw it as a sign from God that his wife would recover. The author also discusses his wife’s spiritual healer, Maria, during Carmie’s bout with breast cancer. Overall, he delivers a sympathetic portrait of his late wife—a woman who, while facing death, uttered the title phrase. He writes of how she lovingly assisted her mental health clients and how she was widely known for her laugh. She was so well-liked that her mourners couldn’t all fit inside the funeral home at once. By emphasizing her loving spirit in a simple, smooth narrative voice, he allows readers to appreciate Carmie without ever having met her.

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